Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

Who loves you?

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This time of year can make lots of people feel left out, alone, unwanted. Have you ever wondered if anybody truly loves you? Well, Christmas is God’s resounding YES! May you know that truth deep in your heart in these final days leading up to Christmas. Father God, we are in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Season. As believers, we love to celebrate the birth of our Savior. … [Read more...]

Cloaked in Beauty is Available!

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I'm so excited to share the third book in my Texas Ever After series with you! It was such fun reimagining two classic stories in one novel. Little Read Riding Hood meets Sleeping Beauty in this adventure-filled road trip romance. Raised in isolation with only her grandmother and her pet wolf for company, Letty Hood must learn to trust the Pinkerton agent tasked with her protection as she … [Read more...]

Have you reached your 2024 reading goal?

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Do you do the reading challenge on Goodreads? I confess I love picking the number of books I want to read for the coming year and then trying to reach that goal.  Of course, I’ve been keeping spreadsheets for years that include “books read” column which I tally up at the end of the year.  I went back to see if the numbers for the past few years of Goodreads challenge compare to the … [Read more...]

Doing life with these amazing people

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Happy Tuesday evening, friends. Sorry for my lateness in posting. The past few days have been an absolute blur of gatherings, birthday parties, neighborhood parties, Christmas parties, and a family wedding. Such rich time with family and friends! Here are some quick glimpses... My attempt at the themed cake Kellie wanted. I made the wrong kind of fondant, though. Marshmallow fondant, … [Read more...]

Peace on Earth This Christmas

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As I type this, my mailbox has filled with emails warning me of death and destruction, disruptions and decimations all over the world. Those who claim humans are evolving toward betterment don't read much, do they? No, the nature of the humankind is to destroy. Even the second law of thermodynamics says that things break down, they don't improve themselves. Energy dissipates. So at Christmas … [Read more...]

30 Year Writing Anniversary (And a Giveaway!)

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Thirty years ago, I was a newlywed in my early twenties living on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. In this house... We'd moved to Anguilla because my husband was working as a tennis pro at a resort there. It had been our dream to live overseas and see the world during the early years of our marriage, and we were delighted that we were able to make that dream come true. I look back on … [Read more...]

Dreaming about what’s next…

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Last week I got my book turned in! Y'all, that is such a good feeling. As my husband put it, a monkey is off my back. I might even call it a gorilla. But now it's time to dream about what my next series and books are. I have some ideas, but they are glimmers. I might want to do something of a caper. I have some WWII ideas. I want to braid contemporary and historical together. There are so … [Read more...]

 It’s That Time of Year

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Hi friends!  Happy Wednesday. I'm excited to spend a little bit of today with you. Thank you so much for stopping by. You’re what keeps this blog running. That, and copious amounts of coffee. Just joking…kind of. A girl loves her coffee. But, seriously, this blog exists because of YOU, and I’m so thankful for each and every one of you. To show my thanks, I’m sharing four fun holiday … [Read more...]

A Jane Austen Christmas

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This past weekend I attended the annual Christmas event of the Jane Austen Society of North America's Minnesota chapter. We gather every December to honor Jane Austen, whose birthday is December 16th. This year we enjoyed a delicious brunch at an elegant country club, where we were entertained by a talented singer/songwriter named Monica Livorsi, who performed songs from her album, All About … [Read more...]

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